Beer-drawing apparatus.



N0. 678,77l. Patented luly 61|90|`.

, C. APPLEHANS.

BEER DRAWING APPARATUS.

(Application led Oct. 25, 1900.)

(No Model.)

W/T/VESSES PPXQMWMSD., MJ ATTK llwirnn drains Parietti @raient CHARLES APPLEHANS, F NORYVICVH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR C JAMES OCONN ELL, HERMINE APPELHANS, HARRET APPELHANS, VALESKA Al?- PELHANS, AND JOHN H. BARNES, OF SAME PLACE.

esta-Danvvme APPARATUS.

SPEGIFCATXUN forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,771, dated J'uly 16, 1901. Application filed October 25, 1900. Serial No. 34,316. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CEARLns APPLEHANS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norwich, in the county of VNew London and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beer-Drawing Apparatus, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to apparatus for Io drawing beer and other liquids from the barrel or receptacle containing the same; and the particular object of my invention is to improve that class of apparatus to the end that such barrels may be readily tapped without the aid of special tools and without the use of destructible plugs or bungs that have to be renewed upon the refilling of the barrel.

To assist in the explanation of my invention I have provided the accompanying sheet zo of drawings, illustrating the same, as follows.

Figure l shows in central vertical section a beer-keg having connected therewith a beerdrawingdevice embodying myimprovelnents. Fig. 2 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view of the bung and of a portion of the faucet. Fig. 3 is plan view of the bung. Fig. a is a view of the lower end of the bung with the plate f removed to disclose the valvedisk. In this view the valve is illustrated in 3o full lines as closed and in dotted lines as swung half open. In Fig. 5 I have shown a similar view with the valve in its wide-open position. Fig. 6 is a view of that end of the faucet that coacts with the bung. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7 7 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the letter a indicates the keg; b, a complete bung of my improved construct-ion mounted in the head 4o of the keg; c, a faucet of peculiar construction removably connected with the bung, and d a tube by means of which the beer may be drawn from the bottom of the barrel. l will rst describe the bungh, as the said bung includes a peculiar valve that forms one of the essential features of my invention.

The bung proper consists of a metallic bushing b', that is screw-threaded externally, as at b2, in order that it maybe screwed into the barrel-head. Bushing b is counterbored 5o from its lower end to receive alooselviitting shell b3, whose lower end is iush with the end of bushing Z9' when the parts are assembled. Projecting inward from the shell h3 near its upper end are studs h4, and eX- 55 tending downward from the lower end of the shell is a stud b5, which latter stud isprovided to transmit motion to a valve which l will now describe. The valve e is of circular-washer form, having an opening e that 6o is located off from the center and is somewhat larger than the diameter of the pipe CZ, and said valve is pivoted on a bolt e2 in such manner that it (the valve) may be swung to one side, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. v

4E and 5, to open a central passage through the bun Outside the valve eis a centrallyperforated washer f, that is lixedly secured to the bushing b by the described bolt e2 and a similar bolt e3, the Valve-disk being pro- 7o vided with an elongated slot et, through which the bolt e3 passes, the slot e4 being of sufficient length to permit the swinging of the valve during the opening and closing of 'the latter, as I shall explain more in detail later on.

The fixed washer f serves to hold the movable valve-disk in close engagement with the end of the bung-bushing b', thus insuring a liquid-tight joint; but the valve is :not held so tightly as to prevent it from being swung 8o laterally with comparative ease. The stud b5, which l have already described, lies in a hole e5 in the valve c, and it will now be understood that when the inner shell or bushing b3 is partially rotated within the bung-bush- 8 5 ing b/ the stud b5 will operate to swing the valve-disk e to one side, as seen in Figs. et and 5, thus bringing the hole e into coincidence with the central opening in the complete bung and providing an unobstructed opening 9o throughout said bung through which the pipe d may be-readily passed.

I desire to call particular attention to the way in which the valve-disk e is supported and guided by the bolts e2 e3. I have found 95 in practice that the opening e in the valvedisk cannot be brought into coincidence with the central opening in the bung except by combiningwith the described swinging movement of the valve-disk a lloating motion in a limited degree, for the reason that the stud b5, which controls the swinging movement of the valve-disk, travels in an arc of the circular path described by the bushing b3, and consequently the valve-disk is caused to describe the same circular movement, and in order to permit such movement I am obliged to elongate the opening e6, through which the stud c2 passes, as is best seen in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. This arrangement of stud and slotpermits a limited lateral or floating movement of the valve-disk, although the center of its movement is approximately the center of stud e2. In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated, respectively, the two eX- tremes of movement of the valve-disk, and in dotted lines in Fig. 4 I have indicated its median position.

Having described my improved valve, I will proceed to describe the means by which I rotate the bushing b3 in order to swing the valve-disk to open and close the valve. The bung-bushingb'is formed at its upper end with oppositely-arranged radial slots g g', that lead into an undercut annular channel g2, and the faucet cis formed with oppositely-disposed radial lugs c c2, that are adapted to enter the slots g g and lock in the said annular channel g2 upon giving to the faucet a partial rotation after entering it in the bung. The end of the faucetis extended and is slitted transversely, as at c3, the'said slit being of a size adapted to slip over the studs b4 when the faucet end is entered in the bung, it being assumed that the valve is closed when the faucet is thus entered in the bung. When the faucet is partially rotated to loci; its lugs c c2 in the annular channel g2, the slitted ende3 simultaneously rotates the bushing b3 and opens the valve. It will thus be seen that the opening of the valve is dependent upon the locking of the faucet in the bung and,per contra, the removal of the faucet from the bung will simultaneously and automatically close the valve, thus making it impossible to open the valve except when the faucet is in its operative position in the bung or to separate the faucet and bung without simultaneously closing the valve, and thus shutting off the escape of the liquid. The body of the faucet c has a straightway opening through it that registers with the opening in the bung when the parts are assembled in the manner described, and on the outer end of the faucet is a stuffing-box c4, that is adapted to receive the pipe d, as seenin Fig. l. Connected with the opening in the faucet is a pipe h, through which air may be forced into the faucet and thence into the barrel. The pipe d has connected therewith a cock d and a pipe d2, through which the liquid is delivered at any desired distant point.

When the various elements of myimproved beer-drawing apparatus are properly assembled, it will be understood that a current of air introduced through pipe h will force the contents of the barrel to seek an outlet, which outlet is found only through the pipe d, the outiiowing and cutting off of the liquid being controlled by opening or closing the cock d@ My described improvement is of very simple construction, is easily applied to bu-ngs and faucets of the kinds most commonly used, and serves to greatly increase the efficiency of beer-drawing apparatus lwithout increasing materially the cost thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- In combination, in a bung, an outer shell, a revoluble bushing in said shell, bolts projecting from the end of said shell, a valvedisk formed with elongated slots e4 e that engage the said bolts whereby a floating :novement of the valve-disk is obtainable as set forth, and means for swinging the said valvedisk on its supports.

Signed at Norwich, Connecticut, this 15th day of Oct-ober, 1900.

CHARLES APPLEHANS.

Vitnesses:

FRANK H. ALLEN, 'JAMES OCoNNnLL. 

